Pending North Fork project to impact sizable acreage

The public has until Jan. 17 to comment on a new, large-scale project in the North Fork that aims to reduce fuel densities and fuel loadings, improve plant diversity and more.

The project, known as Frozen Moose, proposes commercial timber harvest on 3,552 acres, and noncommercial vegetation treatments, including thinning and burning, on 4,630 acres, according to a recent press release from the Flathead National Forest Glacier View District.

The entire project area encompasses approximately 151,200 acres and is bound to the north by the Canadian border, by the Kootenai National Forest to the west, and by the North Fork of the Flathead River to the east. The span covers six grizzly bear management subunits and eight lynx analysis units. It includes the Tuchuck-Whale recommended wilderness area, the North Fork of the Flathead River’s designated scenic river segment, four eligible wild and scenic river segments, and four inventoried roadless areas.

The purpose and need of the Frozen Moose Project, as described in the action proposal, “is derived from the differences between the existing landscape condition and the desired condition described in the forest plan,” which provides management direction for all resources in the Flathead National Forest.

Forest Service officials and researchers pinpointed four primary purposes and needs in the project area after field reviews and discussions with members of the public: address wildland-urban interface fuel loading, diversify plant and tree communities, provide a mix of forest products for local economies, and improve aquatic ecosystems.

The project proposal says a historical pattern of fire inconsistencies in the project area have prompted dense forest conditions. For example, high densities of sapling-sized trees have sprouted in areas where fires swept through in more recent years, but in other portions of the project area, where fires haven’t occurred in decades, more mature vegetation with layers of tree canopies have developed. This combination of young and old vegetation, means the area could “support a fast-moving, intense crown fire.”

Fires of this magnitude that have occurred in the past have threatened and destroyed residences and infrastructure, but “fuel reduction proposed in this project would make the area more resilient to wildfire and provide for firefighter access and safety as wildfires do occur.”

“We look forward to working with and hearing from local residents in the North Fork area, as well as the broader public as we continue to develop this project,” Hungry Horse Glacier View District Ranger Rob Davies said in a prepared statement.

There are a number of proposals for vegetation treatments in the action plan, including understory removal in which trees less than 6 inches in diameter at breast height are slashed and piled, commercial and precommercial thinning, among several others. Another major treatment proposed is the burning of whitebark pine and other restoration activities specific to the declining species. The whitebark pine are fire-adapted, meaning the trees benefit from area burning to remove competitor tree species.

To conduct the treatments, the Forest Service is also proposing to construct temporary roads and reconstruct historical roads. According to the press release, some roads would be temporarily constructed or reconstructed to provide access to project areas, though public motorized access would not change. Some treatments in the wildland-urban interface would require activity in inventoried roadless areas and the Wild and Scenic Flathead River Corridor.

In addition, as part of the timber harvest and fuel reduction work, a series of culverts would be upgraded or removed to improve aquatic ecosystems. Culverts, or tunnels that carry a stream or open drain under roads, must be properly sized and maintained to allow upstream fish passage, and to prevent floods from washing out roads and causing road sediment to wash into streams.

In this project area, Red Meadow, Whale and Trail creeks are designated as critical habitat for bull trout, which is a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

The public can find maps, other project information, and instructions for how to provide comment on the Frozen Moose project on the Flathead National Forest’s website at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=57310

Officials expect to reach a final decision on the Frozen Moose project by the end of winter 2020.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached 758-4407 or kgardner@daliyinterlake.com